Alzheimer’s: Power lines double the risk
Published on Friday, November 14, 2008
by Healthy News Service
Living near a power line can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s and senile dementia, a major new study has confirmed this week. People who live within 54 yards, or 50 m, of a power line more than double their risk of a neuro-degenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s compared with people who live at least 600 m from a line.
The time you live near a power line also determines the risk level. Living within close proximity of a line for 15 years or longer doubles your risk compared with someone who has lived close to a power line for less than five years.
These findings are based on a study of 4.7 m people living in Switzerland.
(Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, 2008; doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn297)

By Eve Hosley-Moore, Times Correspondent
In print: Wednesday, October 29, 2008
________________________________________
After two weeks of taking coconut oil, Steve Newport’s results in an early onset Alzheimer’s test gradually improved says his wife, Dr. Mary Newport. Before treatment, Steve could barely remember how to draw a clock. Two weeks after adding coconut oil to his diet, his drawing improved. After 37 days, Steve’s drawing gained even more clarity. The oil seemed to “lift the fog,” his wife says.

The only thing that kept Dr. Mary Newport positive in the face of her husband’s early onset Alzheimer’s disease was that he didn’t seem aware of how much ground he was losing.
“He didn’t know the full ramifications of his decline — I hate to say it but that was the only blessing. I was watching my husband of 36 years simply fade away,” said Dr. Newport, 56, a neonatologist and medical director of the newborn intensive care unit at Spring Hill Regional Hospital.
An accountant, Steve Newport left his corporate job the day his first daughter was born, allowing his wife to finish her medical training. As time went on, he worked from home, keeping the books for her neonatology practice and taking care of their two daughters, now age 22 and 26.

About six years ago, Newport began struggling with daily tasks. He took longer to complete the business’ payroll and was making more mistakes.
“I didn’t know what was happening to me. I was confused,” Newport said of his prediagnosis days.
“There were big clues, and I knew that something was going on here,” Dr. Newport said.

They saw his primary care physician, who referred him to a specialist. The diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s was a devastating blow. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 4.5-million Americans have Alzheimer’s. Early onset Alzheimer’s strikes people age 30 to 60 and is rare, affecting only about 5 percent to 10 percent of those with Alzheimer’s.

While there is no way to confirm an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Newport tested positive for the genetic marker that puts a person at higher risk for early onset Alzheimer’s.

He was put on several FDA-approved medicines to help slow the progression of the disease, but he continued to decline. In August of last year, Dr. Newport said, her husband underwent a “drastic change,” losing more than 10 pounds.

“He had completely lost interest in eating, and that was not a good sign,” she said. He also abandoned the kayaking and gardening he loved so much.
Dr. Newport searched the Internet for clinical drug trials that would accept her husband. In May, he was set to apply for studies in St. Petersburg and in Tampa.

A fuel that nourishes the brain from birth
The evening before the first screening, Dr. Newport stayed up late researching both drugs. During that research she discovered a third that had shown unbelievable results — actual memory improvement.

“Most drugs talk about slowing the progression of the disease … but you never hear the word ‘improvement.’ Right then I knew I had to find out more,” she said.

She began vigorously researching online and uncovered the new medication’s patent application. She found an in-depth discussion of its primary ingredient, an oil composed of medium chain triglycerides known as MCT oil.

In Alzheimer’s disease, certain brain cells may have difficulty metabolizing glucose, the brain’s principal source of energy. Without fuel, these precious neurons may begin to die. But researchers have identified an alternative energy source for brain cells — fats known as ketone bodies, explained Dr. Theodore VanItallie, a medical doctor and professor emeritus at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York City. He has been researching ketones for more than 35 years.

“Ketones are a high-energy fuel that nourish the brain,” VanItallie said, explaining that when you are starving, the body produces ketones naturally. When digested, the liver converts MCT oil into ketones. In the first few weeks of life, ketones provide about 25 percent of the energy newborn babies need to survive.

As Dr. Newport continued to read about MCT oil and the new medication, she discovered something surprising: Non-hydrogenated coconut oil is more than 60 percent MCT oil, and this medication derived its MCT oil from this readily available tropical tree.

Newport was not accepted for the first clinical trial. He was unable to remember the season, month or day of the week, and he scored a 14 out of 30 on the mini-mental state examination, a test used to screen for dementia and assess the level of impairment. He tested too low and, according to the results, had “severe” Alzheimer’s.

One important test for Alzheimer’s progression is to draw the face of a clock from memory. That afternoon, Newport could barely remember how the clock looked, said Dr. Newport.

“We were devastated,” she said.

She tried to reassure herself and her husband by looking forward to the next day’s second screening, but she was beginning to feel hopeless.
“And then it hit me,” she said. “Why don’t we just try coconut oil as a dietary supplement? What have we got to lose? If the MCT oil in it worked for them, why couldn’t it work for us?”

Trying out coconut oil and testing result
On the drive home, she stopped at a health food store and bought a jar of nonhydrogenated, extra-virgin coconut oil. The experimental medication’s patent application was complete with dosage information, and she did some quick math, converting the measurements.
The next morning she stirred two tablespoons of coconut oil into her husband’s oatmeal, and she tried it in hers, too.
On the way down to the second screening in Tampa, Dr. Newport quizzed her husband, asking him the day, month and year.

“I prayed harder than I’d ever prayed in my life,” she said.
Her prayers were answered. Steve scored an 18 on the exam, the highest he’d scored for more than a year and four points higher than the previous day.
“It was like the oil kicked in and he could think clearly again,” Dr. Newport said. “We were ecstatic.”

Newport was accepted into the trial but more importantly, the coconut oil he’d ingested seemed to “lift the fog.” He began taking coconut oil every day, and by the fifth day, there was a tremendous improvement.

“He would face the day bubbly, more like his old self,” his wife said.
More than five months later, his tremors have subsided, the visual disturbances that prevented him from reading have disappeared, and he has become more social and interested in those around him.

Nothing can repair the brain damage he has sustained as a consequence of Alzheimer’s disease, and there is no cure. But it appears the oil is helping, Dr. Newport said.

Studying effect of diet on other diseases
The Newports are not the only ones who have found positive results with ketones. In 2005, Dr. VanItallie studied the ketogenic diet’s effect on Parkinson’s disease. In his study, five patients stuck to the diet for one month, and all of the participants’ tremors, stiffness and ability to walk improved, on average, by as much as 43 percent.

“Our study was very successful for our patients,” Dr. VanItallie said, explaining that the one drawback is that the ketogenic diet mimics starvation. It is low carb, low protein and nearly 90 percent fat, he explained. “People can’t really stay on this diet for long, it’s too restrictive.”
His study was preliminary, but he said he hopes it will “pave the way for future research.”

Parkinson’s is similar to Alzheimer’s in that it is neuro-degenerative, and glucose metabolism may be affected, Dr. VanItallie said.
“We know that if we give patients ketones, we can bypass this glucose block,” he said. However, researchers don’t know if the effect is short term or long term. He is pushing for larger and more disciplined studies.

Since starting the coconut oil regimen with her husband, Dr. Newport has become somewhat of an expert on the subject. Though not a neurologist, her background as a medical doctor and her biochemistry classes in medical school have helped her understand the way MCT oil is converted into ketones, and how beneficial this dietary supplement can be for those unable to process glucose.

Additionally, ketones may be beneficial to those with Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Type I and II diabetes.
“I think (Dr. Newport) is quite courageous. Most people give up when they are facing severe Alzheimer’s, but she feels she’s got significant improvement,” said Dr. Richard Veech, chief of the lab of metabolic control at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.
Dr. Veech has been working with ketones for more than 40 years and has become a valuable resource to the Newport family. Currently, he is working for the military, looking into ketones as a way to improve the performance of troops in severe conditions.

He has written several articles about the subject and is convinced that ketones can provide more cellular energy than glucose and that they may be the key to aiding those with neuro-degenerative diseases.

He has helped guide Dr. Newport in her personal study and answers many of her questions. Though her experience with ketones is not the peer-reviewed, double-blind clinical work researchers like to see, Dr. Veech said her results are promising.
“(Dr. Newport) is getting the best she can with what she has,” he said.

Dr. Veech stresses the importance of consulting a physician before trying coconut oil at home. He said ingesting too much of one type of fat can be dangerous and can also cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Dr. Newport realizes more research is needed, but she is pleased with what she’s seen so far.

“I’ve got living proof that this will help people,” she said. “I want to just tell everybody about this. It may help them improve, too.
“All I’m asking is to investigate this further. After living through Alzheimer’s, anything that can stabilize or help improve (your loved one) will be worth every drop.”

Amish farmers are to sue the US government on the grounds that plans to put electronic identity tags on livestock constitute imposing the “mark of the Beast”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3473461/Amish-sue-US-government-for-mark-of-the-Beast-on-livestock.html
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 11:33PM GMT 17 Nov 2008

Amish farmers say the livestock ID scheme is a violation of their fundamental religious beliefs Photo: AP
A group of seven Amish farmers in Michigan say the state’s insistence that they use radio frequency ID devices on their animals “constitutes some form of a ‘mark of the Beast’ and/or represents an infringement of their ‘dominion over cattle and all living things’ in violation of their fundamental religious beliefs,” according to their lawsuit.

Some Amish, who have a booming business in producing organic milk, disagree with radio ID tagging so strongly that they said they will give up farming if they do not get an exemption.

The Amish, members of an Anabaptist Christian denomination, are best known for their literal interpretation of the Bible and their simple lifestyle.
The livestock registration is intended to create a national tracking system to help contain outbreaks of diseases such as mad cow disease, or foot and mouth.
But the Amish claim that the scheme threatens their religious beliefs because, they believe, it is part of an ongoing attempt to number every living thing, a practice mentioned in Revelations where it is linked with the Devil.

The US department of agriculture (USDA) argues that its cattle tagging plan is voluntary and that the lawsuit should instead be directed at the state of Michigan, which wants to make it compulsory.

The USDA has also pointed out that farmers, including Amish ones, are already using numbered metal studs to track animals.

The relation between residential magnetic field exposure from power lines
and mortality from neurodegenerative conditions was analyzed among 4.7
million persons of the Swiss National Cohort (linking mortality and census
data), covering the period 2000-2005. Cox proportional hazard models were
used to analyze the relation of living in the proximity of 220-380 kV power
lines and the risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases, with adjustment
for a range of potential confounders.

Overall, the adjusted hazard ratio for
Alzheimer’s disease in persons living within 50 m of a 220-380 kV power line
was 1.24 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80, 1.92) compared with persons
who lived at a distance of 600 m or more. There was a dose-response relation
with respect to years of residence in the immediate vicinity of power lines
and Alzheimer’s disease: Persons living at least 5 years within 50 m had an
adjusted hazard ratio of 1.51 (95% CI: 0.91, 2.51), increasing to 1.78 (95%
CI: 1.07, 2.96) with at least 10 years and to 2.00 (95% CI: 1.21, 3.33) with
at least 15 years. The pattern was similar for senile dementia. There was
little evidence for an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis.

Some (electro-magnetic radiation) waves could be the source of the discomfort at the University of Baiona.

While carrying out analysis of the air in the IUT of Baiona from the malaise of last week, failure of the Wi-Fi system on Monday has agree with a sense of well being in the administrative offices.

This week, classes at the Faculty of Commerce of Bayonne have been displaced to the old campus. An inspection by the technical services and hygiene of the place in Baiona did not allow to conclude what are the causes of headaches and dizziness for students, and if they have to do with the air.

All this week, and the next (week of vacation in Iparralde), there will be some air sensors installed in offices, in the auditorium and administrative offices of the new university, opened for only one month.

On Tuesday morning, employees who had felt headaches felt much better than the day before: the disappearance of headaches, breathing feeling better. However, it had not yet conducted any special treatment from the air.

Because the simple installation of devices to measure could not be at the origin of this improvement, only a precautionary measure, more discreet, improvements that could explain that the affected employees have felt since Monday: Wi-Fi connections in the administrative area, positioned a few meters of offices, in the corridors of the ITU, have been withdrawn.

If the measurements of air shows little determinants, the issue of electro-magnetic waves and its harmful influence on the so-called electro-hypersensitive people will have to be analyzed.

Disorders Wifi

According to the World Health Organization, the electromagnetic hypersensitivity “is characterized by various symptoms that affected people attribute to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). These symptoms can include dermatological symptoms (redness, tingling sensation and burning sensations), neurasthenic and vegetative symptoms (fatigue, tiredness, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations and digestive disorders). This set of symptoms is not part of any recognized syndrome. ”

Since the end of 2007, the question of WiFi and its potential health risks is the subject of questions, especially in places like public libraries: Several employees have complained of problems, as well as headaches and malaise, and name of the precautionary principle, the WiFi system, for example, has been disqualified in 4 libraries of Paris.

This story is from Spain but it has been forwarded to me from France. The translation to English is not very clear but I think we are able to understand the general meaning.

It appears that students at the University of Baiona have been complaining of headaches, breathing problems and dizziness (symptoms of microwave exposure illness). In response the University is conducting air testing. When the University WiFi system failed, persons on the campus soon noticed an improvement in their health.

It will be interesting to see whether the University management will recognize the dangers of microwave radiation and take positive action, or whether they will continue to deny that electro magnetic radiation is harmful and fail to protect students and staff.

I have been working for a local District Council for 18 yrs and approximately 3 years ago a mast was erected outside our office window. Since then I have had problems with my teeth, pain in my mouth quite regularly over these years.”

“I have requested information from my Health & Safety Officer and twice got back the latest information on the dangers of these masts, which is saying there is no proven risks. In the last 6 months, we have had 5 new ladies employed in our office, all working in the same vicinity of this mast. 2 of the five have had severe problems with their teeth in these 6 months, one has very back teeth anyway, I have had one wisdom tooth loosen and had to have out and another break in half, we were discussing this on Friday, and another lady has started having strange sensations in her mouth, she said like a magnet going over her teeth. The only lady who hasn’t had any problems has got all white fillings in her teeth. I asked all the others whether they have got all Mercury fillings and they have, as I have.”

A paper co-authored by Keith and published three years ago in the U.S. journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that exposure to various chemicals produced by industrial plants surrounding the Aamjiwnaang reserve land may be skewing the community’s sex ratio.

The researchers looked at the community’s birth records since 1984 and saw “a dramatic drop in the number of boys being born in the last 10 years, particularly in the five-year period between 1998 and 2003,” Brophy said.

Of 132 Aamjiwnaang babies born between 1999 and 2003, only 46 were boys. Typically, about 105 boys are born for every 100 girls in Canada.
High miscarriage rates and a unusually high number of children suffering from asthma were also noted by researchers.

Although the link between pollutants and human reproduction has not been firmly established, there is growing evidence that the birth sex ratio can be altered by exposure to certain chemicals, such as dioxin, PCBs and pesticides. Brophy said studies done in the United States, Japan and Europe seem to support the theory that the so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals have a particular effect on males.

Some of these chemicals are found in commonly used products such as baby bottles and cosmetics. They can also cause miscarriages and a “whole host” of disorders in a male child, Brophy said.
Brophy said soil and water contamination in and around the Aamjiwnaang reserve had been documented before, including in a University of Windsor study that found high levels of PCBs, lead, mercury and various chemicals in the area in the late 1990s. Accidental chemical spills in the area have not been uncommon.

GLOBAL AWARENESS
But it wasn’t until the Aamjiwnaang birth ratio study was published that the global science community really took notice.
“It triggered … calls from scientists and researchers from around the world who had been looking at this issue in Europe and the United States,” Brophy said. “Aamjiwnaang became almost the poster child.”

While Brophy has not seen The Disappearing Male documentary yet, he believes the story of the Aamjiwnaang community will be “the focal point.”

He said the documentary also includes interviews with “some of the foremost experts in the world” on environmental effects on reproductive health.

Brophy and Keith have also studied other occupational and environmental exposures to pollutants, including the link between breast cancer and certain types of jobs in the Windsor-Essex region.

Are males becoming an endangered species?
That’s the question scientists and researchers have been pondering since alarming trends in male fertility rates, birth defects and disorders began emerging around the world.

More and more boys are being born with genital defects and are suffering from learning disabilities, autism and Tourette’s syndrome, among other disorders.
Male infertility rates are on the rise and the quality of an average man’s sperm is declining, according to some studies.

But perhaps the most disconcerting of all trends is the growing gender imbalance in many parts of heavily industrialized nations, where the births of baby boys have been declining for many years.
What many scientists are calling the most important — and least publicized — issue surrounding the future of the human race will be highlighted in a CBC documentary that features two Windsor researchers who’ve studied the phenomenon.

Titled The Disappearing Male and premiering tonight at 9 on CBC-TV, the documentary includes interviews with Jim Brophy and Margaret Keith, adjunct sociology professors at the University of Windsor.

They have been studying the decline in the birth of male children in the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community located next to the infamous Chemical Valley, Canada’s largest concentration of petrochemical plants, near Sarnia.

We at Mast Sanity are campaigning for WiFi to be removed from schools pending proof of safety which has never been shown.

On the contrary, much of the scientific evidence, and there are thousands of papers on microwave radiation, point to harmful effects such as DNA damage and cancers in the medium term.
To put WiFi in schools is simply unacceptable and unethical.
We already know what the Government’s ‘research’ on WiFi in schools will say.

We already know the exposures are similar to being in the main beam from a phone mast as we have already measured them. It does not take two years and £300,000 of taxpayers money.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines do not protect the public from anything but heating in the short term. They do not protect against any other effects from constant exposure.

At a recent conference in London the head of the Russian equivalent organisation, Prof Grigoriev, said the guidelines are out of date and the safety of the future generations is not assured.
The Health Protection Agency will merely compare their results with these out of date guidelines and say that WiFi is fine.

Meanwhile, we have reports of teachers suffering effects such as migraines from WiFi exposure.
No one knows what the children are suffering as no one has done a health survey and no one will. http://www.danger911.com